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Ranking the last 7 years of Canadian whisky

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By @JasonHambrey @JasonHambrey on 23rd Dec 2018, show post

Replies: page 2/3

@paddockjudge
paddockjudge replied

@Hewie, if we can find a mule, I would gladly send twenty or thirty samples to you from my resource centre.

5 years ago 7Who liked this?

Expand image
@Hewie
Hewie replied

@paddockjudge that is a very kind offer - I'l keep it in mind if I know of anyone travelling between us. I would happily reciprocate with some unique NZ Whisky smile

5 years ago 1Who liked this?

Astroke replied

@Hewie or sneak some of that Heartwood Whisky into a care package :)

5 years ago 0

@Hewie
Hewie replied

@Astroke I've had a search and the only Heartwood available here is Auchentoshan stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye

5 years ago 0

@fiddich1980
fiddich1980 replied

@JasonHambrey

I'm having a think about your thread a year later.

This last year I've tried some very good Canadian whiskies. In my opinion, the good ones and the more interesting whiskies have been coming from the smaller distilleries. The larger ones Corby, Forty Creek, Crown Royal, and Alberta Distillery are there and dominate the market share. I would love to see more availability of products from Shelter Point, Two Brewers, and others. I fear that getting access to such distilleries is just not possible given the way in which beer, wine, and spirits, are sold through provincial government run organisations. It's a shame because some of those craft distilleries really should be applauded for their product. Those provincial barriers are one of the main reasons for my pessimism when it come to Canadian Whisky. Never mind international access, as Canadians we have regional barriers and provincial barriers, which do not help in show casing the broader diversity of Canadian Whisky.

How do you view this last year in Canadian Whisky?

4 years ago 3Who liked this?

@BlueNote
BlueNote replied

@fiddich1980 Well said. We’ve still got a long way to go in this country. It seems like instantly you can get pot any where, anytime, in your food, in your soda pop, smoke it, vape it, scarf down pot infused gummy bears, baked goods, whatever. You can give yourself a dope enema if you like, but you still can’t get Ontario wine in BC. Or BC wine in Alberta, and you practically have to mortgage your kid to afford good Scotch. Even domestic whisky is overpriced and not available in some parts of the country.

4 years ago 4Who liked this?

@JasonHambrey
JasonHambrey replied

@fiddich1980 I'd need to think more about the last year to give a proper response. Largely, I think, I'd agree with your thoughts about the small guys vs the big guys.

I sit in an interesting (and privileged) position since I get access to taste a number of things not released through my whisky writing (for my website, Whisky Mag, etc.) and also I have been a member of the judging panel for the Canadian Whisky Awards each of the past 5 years (so I've spent a month a year judging 80-120 blind Canadian whisky samples). I find out what the winners were afterward, so I can take some time to reflect.

If the Canadian whisky years of 2017 and 2018 were an "A-" I'd say 2019 was a "B+". I still think it's been a good year. With the exception of Corby's, all the big guys largely haven't met my hopes (not to say they haven't still been doing good things). Forty Creek lead the renaissance of connoisseur Canadian whisky, but their last really stunning release was Evolution, in my books, and confederation oak and copper pot aren't quite what they used to be. Crown Royal continues to release decent annual "noble collections" but they aren't really jumping far outside their lane and are still going for subtle and soft instead of really leveraging all the flavor they have access to. I'd die for single cask releases of their coffey rye, 95% rye, bourbon-style, and older batch base corn whiskies. Maybe even some single older casks of their other base corn whisky. I've had them, and they are awesome. Gibson's 18 doesn't impress me like it used to. Canadian Club 40 was awesome, but the successors haven't been as good in my opinion. Highwood Ninety 20 is out of Ontario, although getting Canadian Rockies 21 is a plus. Collingwood hasn't continued to push interesting releases like their double barrel which I liked (originally planned as part of an annual special release). We've lost Danfields, and the new aged Black Velvets aren't as good. I'm hopeful for the Sazerac distillery opening in Montreal - I hope they will try to recreate whiskies like Mister Sam (can they, though? That was a lot of good Buffalo Trace juice there) rather than just trying to recreate Royal Canadian and Caribou Crossing. Highwood is doing good stuff but we've lost Ninety 20 in Ontario and there haven't been as many releases out of there as late.

On the whole, Canadian whisky is continuing to move in a positive direction. But, a level down, the big guys - other than Corby - aren't doing a lot for the connoisseur market and I hope for more. In many cases, they are doing less than they used to.

The small guys are the most exciting segment, though. I'm finding a number of bottles a year which find their way into the top 10% of Canadian whiskies that I taste each year (about 200 different ones). Two Brewers can't seem to do anything wrong, and they've released a few stunners this year - probably in my top 5% of Canadian whiskies. Shelter Point continues to challenge the top tiers, with some really great single casks and cask strength finishes. North of 7's whiskies have just hit 5 years, and the older releases are really showing terrific character and I'm happy to spend $60 on them. They get great casks from Independent Stave. I think Last Mountain makes great wheat whisky - my favourite wheat whisky - as it really brings out the character of the grain. And we have some interesting newcomers - Last Straw just released a 100% malted corn (yes, you heard that right) - the distillate is still young but tastes awesome. Glen Saanich's single malt is quite good - if you can get any - and Eau Claire's initial whisky releases showed a lot of promise. And, if you like spirits, there are loads of great spirits - North of 7's pastis, Willibald's barrel-aged gin (the most analogous gin to whisky I've met with its big, oaky body), Sheringham's akvavit, Newfoundland's gunpowder and rose rum, and Steinharts fantastic gin (made with fresh, not dry, citrus). And we still have great gins from Dillons. And lots coming up - Newfoundland distillery is working with agricultural departments to grow their own barley on Newfoundland (the first time it's been grown there) - eventually for some whisky. Willibald's spirit tastes amazing in the barrel, I think it'll be really good. I think Two Brewers is a huge hidden gem, it's better than any of the non-peated $100 Scotch.

In 2019, I formally reviewed 81 commercial Canadian whiskies. I only rated 8 above 90: Hochstadter's 16 year old (96), Canadian Club 41 Year Old (93), Forty Creek 22 Year Old Rye (92), Wiser's 23 Year Old (92), Shelter Point Virgin Oak Finish (91), Pike Creek 21 Year Old Oloroso (91), Gooderham & Worts 49 Wellington (90), and Two Brewers Batch 15 (90). 2 of those 8 came from small producers. If I extended it to include 88s and 89s, there are 5 bottles from small producers and 5 from the Big 8. That certainly shows me something.

The problem with the smaller distilleries is availability, and there is still a lot of not-nice stuff floating around, some of which you need to win an auction before you meet your disappointment. But it's really coming along.

4 years ago 2Who liked this?

@JasonHambrey
JasonHambrey replied

@fiddich1980 I'd need to think more about the last year to give a proper response. Largely, I think, I'd agree with your thoughts about the small guys vs the big guys.

I sit in an interesting (and privileged) position since I get access to taste a number of things not released through my whisky writing (for my website, Whisky Mag, etc.) and also I have been a member of the judging panel for the Canadian Whisky Awards each of the past 5 years (so I've spent a month a year judging 80-120 blind Canadian whisky samples). I find out what the winners were afterward, so I can take some time to reflect.

If the Canadian whisky years of 2017 and 2018 were an "A-" I'd say 2019 was a "B+". I still think it's been a good year. With the exception of Corby's, all the big guys largely haven't met my hopes (not to say they haven't still been doing good things). Forty Creek lead the renaissance of connoisseur Canadian whisky, but their last really stunning release was Evolution, in my books, and confederation oak and copper pot aren't quite what they used to be. Crown Royal continues to release decent annual "noble collections" but they aren't really jumping far outside their lane and are still going for subtle and soft instead of really leveraging all the flavor they have access to. I'd die for single cask releases of their coffey rye, 95% rye, bourbon-style, and older batch base corn whiskies. Maybe even some single older casks of their other base corn whisky. I've had them, and they are awesome. Gibson's 18 doesn't impress me like it used to. Canadian Club 40 was awesome, but the successors haven't been as good in my opinion. Highwood Ninety 20 is out of Ontario, although getting Canadian Rockies 21 is a plus. Collingwood hasn't continued to push interesting releases like their double barrel which I liked (originally planned as part of an annual special release). We've lost Danfields, and the new aged Black Velvets aren't as good. I'm hopeful for the Sazerac distillery opening in Montreal - I hope they will try to recreate whiskies like Mister Sam (can they, though? That was a lot of good Buffalo Trace juice there) rather than just trying to recreate Royal Canadian and Caribou Crossing. Highwood is doing good stuff but we've lost Ninety 20 in Ontario and there haven't been as many releases out of there as late.

On the whole, Canadian whisky is continuing to move in a positive direction. But, a level down, the big guys - other than Corby - aren't doing a lot for the connoisseur market and I hope for more. In many cases, they are doing less than they used to.

The small guys are the most exciting segment, though. I'm finding a number of bottles a year which find their way into the top 10% of Canadian whiskies that I taste each year (about 200 different ones). Two Brewers can't seem to do anything wrong, and they've released a few stunners this year - probably in my top 5% of Canadian whiskies. Shelter Point continues to challenge the top tiers, with some really great single casks and cask strength finishes. North of 7's whiskies have just hit 5 years, and the older releases are really showing terrific character and I'm happy to spend $60 on them. They get great casks from Independent Stave. I think Last Mountain makes great wheat whisky - my favourite wheat whisky - as it really brings out the character of the grain. And we have some interesting newcomers - Last Straw just released a 100% malted corn (yes, you heard that right) - the distillate is still young but tastes awesome. Glen Saanich's single malt is quite good - if you can get any - and Eau Claire's initial whisky releases showed a lot of promise. And, if you like spirits, there are loads of great spirits - North of 7's pastis, Willibald's barrel-aged gin (the most analogous gin to whisky I've met with its big, oaky body), Sheringham's akvavit, Newfoundland's gunpowder and rose rum, and Steinharts fantastic gin (made with fresh, not dry, citrus). And we still have great gins from Dillons. And lots coming up - Newfoundland distillery is working with agricultural departments to grow their own barley on Newfoundland (the first time it's been grown there) - eventually for some whisky. Willibald's spirit tastes amazing in the barrel, I think it'll be really good. I think Two Brewers is a huge hidden gem, it's better than any of the non-peated $100 Scotch.

In 2019, I formally reviewed 81 commercial Canadian whiskies. I only rated 8 above 90: Hochstadter's 16 year old (96), Canadian Club 41 Year Old (93), Forty Creek 22 Year Old Rye (92), Wiser's 23 Year Old (92), Shelter Point Virgin Oak Finish (91), Pike Creek 21 Year Old Oloroso (91), Gooderham & Worts 49 Wellington (90), and Two Brewers Batch 15 (90). 2 of those 8 came from small producers. If I extended it to include 88s and 89s, there are 5 bottles from small producers and 5 from the Big 8. That certainly shows me something.

The problem with the smaller distilleries is availability, and there is still a lot of not-nice stuff floating around, some of which you need to win an auction before you meet your disappointment. But it's really coming along.

4 years ago 2Who liked this?

@JasonHambrey
JasonHambrey replied

Part 1/2:

@fiddich1980 I'd need to think more about the last year to give a proper response. Largely, I think, I'd agree with your thoughts about the small guys vs the big guys.

I sit in an interesting position since I get access to taste a number of things not released through my whisky writing (for my website, Whisky Mag, etc.) and also have been a member of the judging panel for the Canadian Whisky Awards each of the past 5 years (so I've spent a month a year judging 80-120 blind Canadian whisky samples). I find out what the whiskies were (at least the winners) afterward, so I can take some time to reflect.

If 2017 and 2018 was an "A-" I'd say 2019 was a "B+". I still think it's been a good year. With the exception of Corby's, all the big guys largely haven't met my hopes (not to say they haven't still been doing good things). Forty Creek lead the renaissance of connoisseur Canadian whisky, but their last really stunning release was Evolution, in my books, and confederation oak and copper pot aren't quite what they used to be. Crown Royal continues to release decent annual "noble collections" but they aren't really jumping far outside their lane and are still going for subtle and soft instead of really leveraging all the flavor they have access to. I'd die for single cask releases of their coffey rye, 95% rye, bourbon-style, and older batch base corn whiskies. Maybe even some single older casks of their other base corn whisky. I've had them, and they are awesome. Gibson's 18 doesn't impress me like it used to. Canadian Club 40 was awesome, but the successors haven't been as good in my opinion. Highwood Ninety 20 is out of Ontario, although getting Canadian Rockies 21 is a plus. Collingwood hasn't continued to push interesting releases like their double barrel which I liked (originally planned as part of an annual special release). We've lost Danfields, and the new aged Black Velvets aren't as good. I'm hopeful for the Sazerac distillery opening in Montreal - I hope they will try to recreate whiskies like Mister Sam (can they, though? That was a lot of good Buffalo Trace juice there) rather than just trying to recreate Royal Canadian and Caribou Crossing. Highwood is doing good stuff but we've lost Ninety 20 in Ontario and there haven't been as many releases out of there as late.

On the whole, Canadian whisky is continuing to move in a positive direction. But, a level down, the big guys - other than Corby - aren't doing a lot for the connoisseur market and I hope for more. In many cases, they are doing less than they used to.

4 years ago 0

@JasonHambrey
JasonHambrey replied

Part 2/2: The small guys are the most exciting segment, though. I'm finding a number of bottles a year which find their way into the top 10% of Canadian whiskies that I taste each year (about 200 different ones). Two Brewers can't seem to do anything wrong, and they've released a few stunners this year - probably in my top 5% of Canadian whiskies. Shelter Point continues to challenge the top tiers, with some really great single casks and cask strength finishes. North of 7's whiskies have just hit 5 years, and the older releases are really showing terrific character and I'm happy to spend $60 on them. They get great casks from Independent Stave. I think Last Mountain makes great wheat whisky - my favourite wheat whisky - as it really brings out the character of the grain. And we have some interesting newcomers - Last Straw just released a 100% malted corn (yes, you heard that right) - the distillate is still young but tastes awesome. Glen Saanich's single malt is quite good - if you can get any - and Eau Claire's initial whisky releases showed a lot of promise. And, if you like spirits, there are loads of great spirits - North of 7's pastis, Willibald's barrel-aged gin (the most analogous gin to whisky I've met with its big, oaky body), Sheringham's akvavit, Newfoundland's gunpowder and rose rum, and Steinharts fantastic gin (made with fresh, not dry, citrus). And we still have great gins from Dillons. And lots coming up - Newfoundland distillery is working with agricultural departments to grow their own barley on Newfoundland (the first time it's been grown there) - eventually for some whisky. Willibald's spirit tastes amazing in the barrel, I think it'll be really good. I think Two Brewers is a huge hidden gem, it's better than any of the non-peated $100 Scotch.

In 2019, I formally reviewed 81 commercial Canadian whiskies. I only rated 8 above 90: Hochstadter's 16 year old (96), Canadian Club 41 Year Old (93), Forty Creek 22 Year Old Rye (92), Wiser's 23 Year Old (92), Shelter Point Virgin Oak Finish (91), Pike Creek 21 Year Old Oloroso (91), Gooderham & Worts 49 Wellington (90), and Two Brewers Batch 15 (90). 2 of those 8 came from small producers. If I extended it to include 88s and 89s, there are 5 bottles from small producers and 5 from the Big 8. That certainly shows me something.

The problem with the smaller distilleries is availability, and there is still a lot of not-nice stuff floating around, some of which you need to win an auction before you meet your disappointment. But it's really coming along.

4 years ago 0

@JasonHambrey
JasonHambrey replied

Some craft distillers are looking to ship throughout Canada, so some doors may open for Canadians. But, not much of a chance of an international reach other than sections of the US.

4 years ago 0

@fiddich1980
fiddich1980 replied

@JasonHambrey Thanks for the reply.

I do agree with your assessment on the major producers. They are catering to the masses. The danger is that they have made their product more appealing to the masses while only paying lip service to their own product with higher prices. If there is lesson they should have learned from Corby's 2017 and 2018 release of Lot 40 CS? Is that there is a demand and craving for a quality product. A sensible price between 2017($70) to 2018($99) was not outrages. They should also recognise that maintaining and preserving that "quality" is important. The masses have not been as receptive to Corby's 2019 Edition of Lot 40 CS. Corby's was trying too hard to cater to everyone's taste's and in the process over complicated their 2019 Lot 40 Cask Strength release. The most sought after 2019 Rye release is Alberta Premium Cask Strength because it seems to follow a KISS(keep it simple stupid) rule. At a price point between $53 to $66, it's a steal. I would love to see the big producers put out a flavourful product without dumbing it down or over complicating there product.

Stalk and Barrel #CANADA150 was a pivotal whisky. It headed in a direction which was not pushing the boundaries of over experimentation. Mind not the greatest whisky or the most desirable. I thought it was Honest&Good for what it was.

Mister Sam is indeed a quality whisky yet, for all it complexity and what the taster experiences in a seemingly simple quality, defined, and flavourful product. It stimulates the mind's sensory nodes. @paddockjudge is right when he calls it "a once in a decade whisky".

Two Brewer's is "a hidden gem". There is an order to their releases. A single malt, a peated, and innovative(experimental). What they produce lives with in it's skin. Their products have a definition and are not muddled or over complicated nor overly contrived.

I think Shelter Point are doing good things with their diversification of cask policies.

Dillon's produces a decent amount of quality spirits from Gins, to young ryes. I consider their small batch Absinthe among the best I've ever tasted. Taboo from BC is also up there in my rankings.

I don't want to get too critical on Canadian Whisky. I agree with you "B+" for 2019.

Except to say "Thanks for your thoughtful reply", and "Wishing You A Prosperous and Happy New Year".

4 years ago 4Who liked this?

@JasonHambrey
JasonHambrey replied

@fiddich1980 i agree about stalk & barrel #canada150 and your comments in general. I forgot about Alberta in my reply - i’m delighted they’re back to play in the game and give Lot no. 40 cs a sparring partner.

Don said they went for the oaky lot 40 this year because of the popularity of the french oak finish in blending classes and festivals. It certainly didn’t do as well among connoisseurs, i wonder if the masses like it more.

Happy New Year to all!

4 years ago 4Who liked this?

@paddockjudge
paddockjudge replied

@JasonHambrey, @fiddich1980, for the past decade I have followed the craft distillery boom in Canada, visited a few distilleries, absorbed information as well as bullshit from industry insiders and watched the reaction of the large factory distilleries to this micro boom. The big producers reacted to this potential threat and introduced a new wave of top shelf whisky. It has been good.

I am a firm believer that a good whisky is "good" regardless of the price. The big distillers have more good whisky than the small distillers. The large distilleries have released some excellent whisky and also extremely interesting and polarizing whisky. Great Canadian whiskies come from the large distillers.

The small distillers charge a premium for what I consider to be generally NOT good whisky. There are exceptions. Two Brewers is a rising star, as they grow I expect they will become an acquisition target. I hope it plays out a bit differently than Forty Creek. Shelter Point is another micro-distiller a cut above the rest and I detect potential greatness from North of 7 while looking forward to their continuing success. The rest leave me wondering what will happen to them. I am not impressed with their whisky/near whisky products and I refuse to part with my hard earned money for immature whiskey at premium mature whisky prices.

I don't mind paying the price for a good whisky. I do mind paying a premium price for someone's experiment. Until the craft distillers prove they have premium products I will continue to spend my money on proven products from the large distillers.

My views are based on my own experiences.

4 years ago 6Who liked this?

@Victor
Victor replied

Bravo, gentlemen! There is such a vast improvement in the quality and variety of Canadian whisky products available in the brief 8 years I have been following the subject. The current Canadian whisky world would have been almost unimaginable even just 4 years ago. The future of Canadian whisky looks good now. I would not have said that 5 years ago.

@JasonHambrey thanks much for sharing in detail your extensive experience in tasting Canadian whisky and in the inner sanctum of the Canadian whisky game.

4 years ago 3Who liked this?

@Nozinan
Nozinan replied

@paddockjudge You bring up valid points, but I would point out that large distilleries have an advantage in terms of economies of scale.

If 1% of the casks yield exceptional whiskies, they will have more of it, produced at a cheaper per millilitre price.

I recently visited a distillery in Israel and shelled out shekels for a 3.5 YO distillery cask bottling. I would not have bought it if it were crap. And in that climate it matures more quickly. But it was as expensive as a high end Amrut release.

Small distilleries need to charge more for their whiskies until they are established and can scale up. I'm not advocating buying crap but if we want good affordable whisky from them going forward (assuming, like in this case, the distillery is adding something new to the genre), we need to support them and be willing to pay more for the same quality as than we would pay Diageo.

4 years ago 2Who liked this?

@paddockjudge
paddockjudge replied

@Nozinan, you state the obvious. I agree mostly with what you state, but I do not feel an obligation to support micro distilleries. I tried to support some of them and it was not at all satisfying.

Yes, large distilleries have a competitive advantage...technical knowledge...effective supply chain management...proven product...cash flow...proven profitability. I want them to succeed, it is good for me as a consumer.

I believe the business plan of most new micro distilleries is flawed. A business must sustain positive cash flow. Many of these micro distillers are squeezing every drop they can from under-matured casks. Forty Creek moved ahead with wine, white spirits, and liqueurs while letting their whisky talents and whisky assets mature for nearly ten years before selling whisky. I am not a benefactor. I am a consumer. I want quality. I want access to good product. I want value. I do not want to sponsor a commercial endeavor. We should not be "supporting" new producers in the hope they will become successful; that is their burden as business people. I want competition. I want the weak to fail. I want the incompetent to stop holding out their hand and asking for a "break". I want the smart entrepreneur, the skilled entrepreneur, the talented entrepreneur, the patient entrepreneur to succeed. I don't want every romantic with a notion of making whisky to actually open a distillery. These are dangerous times in which we live, the internet has made everyone an instant expert...except whisky makers because it still takes 21 years to produce a 21 YO whisky....mike drop

4 years ago 6Who liked this?

@OdysseusUnbound

@paddockjudge I may not agree 100% with your taste in whisky, but I agree with your post. I’ll go one step further and say that I’m not going to support any distillery, even one I generally love, if they produce a dud or if their quality drops off.

I’ve liked and even loved a lot of Forty Creek’s whisky, but quality control seems to have taken a serious hit since John K Hall stepped back from day to day operations. I’m a big fan of Dr Don Livermore and his team, but I’m not going to lie and praise every single whisky Hiram Walker releases just because Dr Livermore seems like a genuinely nice man. I want to see Canadian whisky grow as a category, but I’m not going to hide my true opinions. Not that my opinions amount to more than a hill of beans...

4 years ago 2Who liked this?

@paddockjudge
paddockjudge replied

@OdysseusUnbound, yes, we definitely agree. I'm flexible, but not gullible...fool me once shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.

Those special casks John Hall had marked in the barrel house "hold for John" are badly needed. Forty Creek was a lot of fun. Friends were made and a good time was had by all.

4 years ago 5Who liked this?

@Nozinan
Nozinan replied

@paddockjudge Please don't misunderstand what I'm suggesting.

I don't think we should be throwing our hard earned dollars at every distillery that puts out a 3 year old spirit and calls it whisky.

What I'm suggesting is that new and small distilleries cannot afford to sell whisky at as low a price as the large corporations. They sell white spirits to keep the lights on but even so, they need to at least break even on the whisky.

If I find a whisky that I like from a start-up, I would be more inclined to shell out a little more than I might be for a conglomerate branded whisky. I know it is hard to compare, but I think that in order for the small and new players to compete they need to be able to survive, and it would be a real shame if a great distiller had to shut down because they couldn't make it past the first few years. we would all lose out in such a case. Look at what happened to Armstrong's Bladnoch...

4 years ago 2Who liked this?

@paddockjudge
paddockjudge replied

@Nozinan, I understand what you are saying, I simply don't agree.

I am specifically referring to Canadian start-ups. It's a tough game. You need a bag full of gold and lots of white spirit sales, liqueurs etc. to survive as a new producer. I did find a micro distiller which was worthy of my hard earned dollars, it was called Kittling Ridge. Every September for six years I threw down at least $1,000 on the distillery tasting room bar in Grimsby and came home with no less than two six packs of limited edition special release whisky. I am perfectly willing to do it again, but only when that particular, or any other distillery proves worthy of my hard earned cash.

4 years ago 3Who liked this?

@RianC
RianC replied

I've been lucky enough to sample some excellent Canadian whiskey these last few years and it's clear that there is good juice there that can rival anything else on the market.

From the outside looking in, and at the risk of stating the obvious, @JasonHambrey and @fiddich1980 sum it up by stating the lack of international access and, even more bafflingly, lack of internal access in some instances. All you Canadians deserve a medal for the apparent extra effort it seems to take just to get a bottle of good whisky!

I'm 100% with @paddockjudge re. the craft distilleries in that their lack of business nous isn't my problem and charging a premium for young and often not that great juice (not just a Canadian thing either) is a huge turn off. They certainly won't be sharing the profits with customers when they gain Macallan status will they?

It would be great to see more of those premium bottles making their way across the pond, and elsewhere, and I think that the bigger distilleries are in a better position to break into those markets.

@BlueNote - my partner found your pot comparison very funny. It's so crazy when you put it like that!

4 years ago 2Who liked this?

@paddockjudge
paddockjudge replied

I must offer an apology to @Nozinan. Upon rereading this thread this morning, no small feat in itself tumbler_glass I find my tone a bit harsh when discussing the micro distillers. My concern is that it appears to be directed at @Nozinan as well. This was not my intent. My firm position on micro distillers is a personal grudge with the current Canadian Whisky scene. I hope this was not seen as an attack on @Nozinan. I am sorry if it came across this way.

4 years ago 3Who liked this?

@Nozinan
Nozinan replied

@paddockjudge I respectfully disagree. You choose to, not must, apologise to me.

My radio silence the past 11 hours is a result of sleeping in, not offence.

I don't disagree with your position at all. I don't think we ought to support crap. My point is a little different. Where there is quality happening at a start-up, I can tolerate a slightly higher cost.

4 years ago 2Who liked this?

@talexander
talexander replied

I don't think I have much else to add that hasn't already been eloquently said by others (especially @JasonHambrey and @paddockjudge). I do agree that Canadian whisky has at least attempted to escape ghettoization in the last seven years, thanks to both the boom in micro-distilling and the "innovations" of the big guys (I use quotes as these have been innovations in Canada, not anywhere else). Of course, the big guys have the distribution to be able to introduce us all to Canadian cask-strength, limited editions and wacky finishes to keep us occupied and not bored with simple age statements. Another huge influence on this - as much as we don't want to admit it - was Jim Murray awarding Northern Harvest Rye Whisky of the Year. Without that, I doubt the explosion of interest in Canadian whisky would have been as strong as it was; and the annual limited editions from Corby's, Crown Royal and Canadian Club might never have happened (or at least, might not have attracted as much attention or sales). In any event, there is still much work to do as there are still many who categorically reject Canadian whisky, and we can't have that happen, eh? No doubt about it!

4 years ago 5Who liked this?

Astroke replied

@talexander Canadian Whisky may still be rejected because the best we have to offer (for the most part) remains in Canada. That is the complaint I mostly hear from American's. Now the scramble down south is for Alberta Premium CS and they are surrounded by it, but at a high price. I am not sure we can produce/export enough of these limited Canadian Whiskies that we would suffer here. Crown Royal in my opinion has yet to join the party as their best is shipped south and we are left with low proof/ no age stated Noble Collection over priced drech.

4 years ago 2Who liked this?

@Nozinan
Nozinan replied

@Astroke The Canadian whisky boom can be a double edged sword. If it becomes more popular outside Canada it could become even more scarce here, and even more expensive.

Better that it be our little secret, to share with Connosrs.

4 years ago 2Who liked this?

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J@Nozinan@talexander@OdysseusUnbound@Victor

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